Trips and Tours to Suez Canal
About Suez Canal
Built over the course of 10 years and opened in 1869, the Suez Canal, measuring 101 miles in length, was a spectacular feat of modern engineering that facilitated world trade by directly connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. The canal was extremely significant as it allowed Europe a direct route to Asia without having to circumnavigate Africa. This shortened the traders' route by 7000km. Since its conception, the canal has had a turbulent history and has been closed and reopened several times according to the political landscape of Egypt. The worst of these closures lasted for 8 years, with the canal finally reopening for business in 1975.
Read MoreWith dozens of ships passing along the canal every day, this historic waterway sees a lot of traffic, which makes for some rather interesting viewing for nautical enthusiasts. In 2015 the New Suez Canal was completed, which aims to double the number of ships that can pass along the canal in a day and to decrease the waiting time for these ships from 11 hours to a mere 3. The 22 mile expansion runs alongside the existing canal and ran up a bill of $8.2 billion. Whether or not it will live up to the high expectations of the Egyptian government is yet to be seen. Whatever the state of the waterway nowadays, it is one of the most important pieces of history in the modern world and well worth learning about. A trip to the Suez National Museum should do the trick.
Suez Canal Tours
Here are some popular itineraries that include a visit to Suez Canal. Alternatively, if you would like to include a visit to Suez Canal on a bespoke touring itinerary to Egypt, take a look at our tailor-made holiday planning section.
